Screenhead

I never watched Scare Tactics much when it was on the Sci Fi Channel (and no, I won’t call it by that abortion of a name it’s going by now) so I have to admit I was kind of surprised when I got to see it in the box set.  It’s actually a much better experience this way.

Scare Tactics, hosted by SNL alumnus Tracy Morgan, is a collection of short films that put a random victim in a strange and horrific situation, only to reveal to them before things get really nasty that they are, in fact, on a reality show.  This results in lots of gasps and screams and cries of obscenities, which are usually bleeped out because somehow despite the fact that I’m paying for these channels they’re all regulated by the FCC and thus have all the balls of a neutered goat.

Anyway.  The DVD version, meanwhile, removes all the bleeps and blurs, allowing you to get a look at all the nudity and profanity the original couldn’t bring to bear because of its position on television.  This doesn’t necessarily add much to the proceedings but it DOES manage to remove a serious distraction, which is the soundtrack aggressively plinking you with loud tones every time someone says a SWEAR, which as we all know, cannot be done on television.  It would cause people to spontaneously combust.

The show itself is actually pretty entertaining and manages to stay fairly fresh, even if most episodes all end up the same way, it’s the occasional differences that make this worth watching.

The Screenhead Ten Scale gives this surprisingly watchable little package a six out of ten for not sucking too hard, and yet also managing to be worthwhile.  Nicely done, even if you’re a really, REALLY niche broadcast.

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